Eduard Shevardnadze Reiterates His Readiness To Meet With Abkhazian Premier Anri Dzhergenia

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze, in an interview to the National Radio on Monday, reiterated his readiness to meet with Abkhazian Prime Minister Anri Dzhergenia. "Both Abkhazians and Georgians must be equally interested in establishing order and peace in the region," he said. According to Shevardnadze, during a recent telephone conversation with Dzhergenia he had already expressed readiness to hold a new meeting with him to resolve all outstanding problems. Shevardnadze said that in present-day conditions a meeting in Sukhumi can mark the beginning of a new, fruitful Georgian-Abkhazian dialogue. "I assure you that Abkhazia will receive the maximum of rights that are provided for within the framework of a single state with regard to a state unit," the president emphasized, adding that this issue must be discussed at future negotiations between Tbilisi and Sukhumi.